Red Sun Rising
by Catherine Grissom
Summary: I work alone. Well, I did. Now the government wants me to bring down a syndicate known only as Naraku. This could be interesting.
1. Prologue

**_Title: Red Sun Rising_**

**_Author: Catherine Grissom_**

**_Rating: Due to violence, sexual situations (later people), and language, I'm gonna go with an M on this one. Just to be safe._**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Grosse Pointe Blank, which gave me the plot bunny, Inuyasha, which the genius Takahashi created, Special Agent Pendergast, a brainchild of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, or any other various references you catch, including but not limited to: quotes from Emerson and Asimov, and passing references to Miss Congeniality. All of this will make sense soon. A certain pain-in-the-gluteus-maximus belongs entirely to me, however._**

**_A/N: No, I'm not abandoning Siren. A plot bunny slapped me upside the head and I just decided to tinker with it. Some 'nice' characters will be evil, and some 'evil' characters will be good guys. It's more fun this way._**

* * *

The black-clad figure glanced out the third story window. Any minute now, the statesmen would be appearing from the hotel across the way. Opening a suitcase, she removed the pieces of her favorite rifle. She leisurely began to assemble the gun and was attaching the scope when her headset chimed.

"Talk to me," she tapped it once.

"Got an interesting e-mail for ya," the voice on the other end taunted.

"No games," she continued preparing the rifle, moving to take aim out of the left window in the corner of the room. "I'm busy, remember."

"Your old unit wants to hang out for tea," there was a near laugh.

There, gray sweater, 2:00, she smirked and took aim, tracking the man from window to window. "I really doubt that."

"Honest," he was definitely chuckling. "I'm holding the letter."

"Uh-huh," the target pulled a gun from his pocket. "Hold on a tick."

Two silenced bullets hit their mark and the would-be gunman fell.

"You were saying?" she watched, amused, as the stunned statesmen tried to pinpoint the sniper.

"Back in DC," the voice continued. "They want all the old buddies to get together and reminisce."

"About what?" she snorted, disassembling the rifle. "Our most creative assignments?"

Six rapid gunshots rang out and she ran for the window. The three statesmen were on the ground in pools of blood. The dark-haired 'doorman' was standing over them with a Glock in each hand. When his clips were empty, he threw the guns carelessly onto the bodies, looked up at where she stood in the corner of the window, hidden by the drapes, and waved cheerily before taking off the uniform coat and walking back into the building.

"Shit!" the rifle was carelessly thrown into its case. "I'll talk to you about this later!" the headset followed as she scrambled for the door.

* * *

"There's a very unhappy customer that wants to talk to you, sis." 

"I can't help that!" she yelled into the car phone. "I was told one guy, Valez, not two!"

"And Onigumo wants to talk to you," it sounded like her brother was wincing.

"Patch him through," she snapped.

"Hey, Babes!" the overly cheerful voice called.

"Shutup," she snarled. "You ruined my hit!"

"See, if you were in, these embarrassing screw-ups wouldn't happen," he sounded like a mother-hen. "Now, where are you?"

"Russia," she quipped.

"Right, I see you at the Volga right now," a black Lincoln came up behind her.

"Fuck off, would you?"

"No can do, Babes," he climbed out of the driver's seat. "I've been wanting to talk to you face to face."

She set the phone aside and glared at him. "I'm not going to join your damn 'union'."

"I'm hurt," he replied, dryly. "We had some great times."

"You killed my sister," she reminded him.

"Welcome back, Inigo Montoya," he smiled brightly. "C'mon, everyone's there! Blade, Wolf, Snake, White."

"Not me."

"Too bad," he pouted. "Well, if you're going to be stubborn, there's nothing I can do."

"Nice to know you realize that," she gave him a 'shoo' gesture.

He backed toward the Lincoln. "Well, Babes, if you change your mind, you know how to contact me."

The car sped off.

She flipped back to her brother, "Anything else?"

There was a rustling.

"Souta?"

"Kagome Higurashi?" a rough baritone came from the other line.

"Who the fuck are you?" she spat, the bottom dropping out of her stomach.

"Agent Saishi of the Federal Bureau of Investigation," he sounded bored. "We have a proposition for you when you return to Las Cruces."

The line went dead.

* * *

**_Hmmm. I'll see what I can do to get both the next chapter of Siren and the first official chapter of this one up soon. Until then, drop me a line, whether you rant and rave or just say 'cool', I'd love to hear it._**


	2. Chapter 1

**_A/N: This fic is kind of a break for me while I'm writing 'Siren'. I'm not deserting it, nor is it my main focus: it's what I pull out when I need a bit of a mindwipe. As such, the chapters will be short and it may be a while between posts. _**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Gross Pointe Blank, which gave me the idea, or Inuyasha, who's characters I'm warping beyond all recognition. _**

* * *

"Las Cruces?" Inuyasha glared at his partner. "Who the fuck bases their operation in Las Cruces?"

Miroku rolled his eyes. "Someone who doesn't want to be surrounded by feds."

Souta Higurashi glared at both of the agents. "She's going to be really pissed off that you guys came here."

"I don't care if she spits nails," the agent popped his neck. "As long as she agrees to do this, we'll all be fine."

"She won't agree," Souta spoke as though he were talking to a two year old. "She hates feds as much as she hates Naraku."

"Keh."

* * *

"No." 

"Would you listen to the deal, wench?"

"No," she moved about the small office, stacking and filing papers.

He growled in his throat before taking a deep breath and continuing, "We've been trying to bring down Naraku for 18 months now. If you help us, we'll clear your record and you'll be rid of an annoyance."

"I've already told you no," she arched an eyebrow at him.

He smiled coldly, violet eyes glinting dangerously. "Then we'll bring you in on, what is it, thirty-seven counts of murder."

"Good," she smiled brightly. "I won't have to deal with that asshole anymore."

"Not to mention the equal thirty-seven charges of accessory to murder we'll bring against your brother."

The papers dropped from her hands. "I don't care what you do to me, you stay the hell away from my brother."

"No can do," his smile didn't falter. "Unless you agree to work with us."

She sat heavily in the chair behind the desk. "What do I have to do?"

"Help us bring down Naraku," he said simply.

"Impossible," she snorted.

"I beg to differ," Miroku spoke up finally. "He's been getting sloppy."

"Naraku isn't one man," Kagome looked at him sadly. "Naraku's an organization of the best assassins. There's no way you're going to be able to take them all on."

"Explain," the sharp order came from Inuyasha.

"The leader, Onigumo, is the one that's gotten sloppy," a wry smile curved her lips. "He's the 'shoot first ask questions later' type. Preferred weapon is a pair of Glocks that he usually leaves at the scene."

Miroku blinked. Alright, just how many of these psychos were there?

"Then there's Blade," the smile turned genuine. "She's a character. She loves the fans."

"Assassins have fanclubs?" Miroku ventured.

"Not those fans," she pressed a button underneath the desk and a drawer slid out. Inside were ordinary looking Chinese fans. "These fans."

"She papercuts them to death?" Inuyasha snorted. "Heaven help us."

Shaking her head, Kagome reverently picked up one of the fans. "You always did lack finesse." Snapping it open, she called out, "Souta!"

Always prepared, he threw a small paper airplane at her. The raven-haired woman quickly used the fan to slash at it. The 'airplane' fell to her desk in ribbons.

"Steel edged," she explained, carefully closing the weapon. "Nasty little buggers."

Miroku grinned shakily. "C- continue."

"Then there's Wolf," the hidden drawer was pushed closed. "Simple, straightforward, bullet to the head."

There was an odd look in her eye that the two men didn't really feel like mentioning.

"Snake," she continued. "Little twerp likes to sneak poisonous snakes into the room. Bastard almost got me a couple of times. Actually I'm not sure if the idiot's even male. Anyway, White's the next one. She is a flat-out genius. She-" the woman paused for a moment. "You remember the Kentucky senator a year ago, died of a heart-attack in his sleep?"

"Yeah," Miroku nodded. "Why?"

"Wasn't a heart-attack," she smiled proudly. "That took a fucking week to set up."

Inuyasha's hand quickly began massaging his temples. "Can't arrest her," he muttered to himself. "Can't arrest her."

Kagome grinned at him. "Chem's are more White's specialty though. She has one that makes it look like asphyxiation. Goddamn, that's cool to watch. Pissed that she stole my hit, but it's cool to watch."

Souta hid a laugh at the looks on the agents' faces.

"Anyway, those are the major players," she shrugged. "My informant keeps me posted on the newbies, and believe me when I say that there are a ton of them."

"Informant?" Miroku's eye's lit up.

"Yep," she nodded, "It's a standard bi-week, GFI pass-off. He's been pretty accurate."

"Sure it ain't an 'SFI'?" Inuyasha's lip quirked.

"I'm going to ignore that."

Miroku glanced between the two, "Translation please."

"He's a goods-for-info informant," his partner explained.

"Your perverted friend asked if I was sure it wasn't a 'sex-for-info' trade," Kagome's face was devoid of emotion.

Souta chuckled weakly while Inuyasha snorted a laugh. "You think I'm the perverted one?"

Miroku glared at him. "Moving on, when do you meet with this informant of yours again?"

"Next Tuesday."

"You don't mind if we tape that do you?"

The woman looked to her brother. "He does a wire scan every time."

"You're lying," Inuyasha looked smug.

"Really now?"

"You broke eye contact," he tilted his head, rattling off reasons. "You're looking to your brother for back-up, you're drumming your fingers, and if this informant of yours was in fact working to help you, he wouldn't care if you were wired."

"Fine," she glared at him. "I do mind if you tape it."

"Any particular reason why?" Miroku asked gently.

She didn't answer.

"Unless it is an SFI," Inuyasha narrowed his eyes.

Kagome's panicked eyes met his for a split second.

"That's what I thought," he grimaced.

Miroku gaped at the woman in front of him. She simply turned to stare out the window.

"Be at the airport tomorrow at 7:00 AM," the long-haired man stood stiffly, whapped his partner upside the head, and moved for the door, his neat, dark ponytail swaying behind him.

"Bring whatever you need, chems, weapons, clothes," the door shut behind the two.

Kagome slumped in the chair and looked to her brother, hopelessly. "I'm sorry."

* * *

"Little bitch is still resisting," Onigumo glared at his desk. 

"I told you, she's a tough nut to crack," the blue-eyed male smirked.

"All it takes is three words to get her to open her legs," the glare was turned to the other assassin. "But you still haven't gotten her into the group?"

"She's not going to join. Might as well kill the slut if she's pissing you off."

"Fine," Onigumo smiled cruelly. "She's your next assignment. Next time you meet her."

There was a short nod and the other man turned to leave.

Onigumo had a sudden thought. "And, Kouga?"

The dark-haired man turned.

"Make it messy."

* * *

**_A/N:...So yeah...Hints at subtext, check. Weird aliases, check. Plot beginning, check. Kouga on Onigumo's team, che-What the hell?_**

**_Anyway, drop me a line. I love to hear from you guys. Criticism accepted, flames ignored. Oooh, and first person to tell me who goes to what alias gets a virtual cookie..._**


	3. Chapter 2

**_A/N: Yeah, I've been away for a bit. I'm posting this from Santa Fe, New Mexico, where I've been for the past three days. I apologize for not posting sooner, but my hobby of writing has not been facilitated by my situation. This chapter is rather longer than the previous ones, simply because I wanted to get through the backstory and bring in Sango. I'm editing this as I go and will probably be reposting at a later time. _**

**_Disclaimer: Yet again, I am disappointed to announce that I own nothing familiar._**

* * *

Disturbed's 'Voices' was blaring in the apartment. Occasional grunts and groans could be heard, along with the slap of flesh and creaking of chains.

The dark-haired agent followed the sounds until he found the source. The young assassin seemed to be taking out her latest frustration on a punching bag. He watched her for a moment and then decided to speak.

"I thought I told you seven AM," he grinned when she jumped, startled.

"Apparently no one told you," she began.

"That you're never on time," he finished. She turned to glare at him and he affected a neutral expression. "You've changed."

"You haven't," her hands were on her hips now. "How'd you get in here anyway?"

"Busted out a window," he smirked, but it was fleeting.

"Meaning you used the door. I'll have to tell Souta to change the locks," her glare never faded.

"What the hell happened to you?" he moved forward and was walking around her now. "Five years, sixty-eight assignments; you never once frowned. Now I can't get you to stop."

"People change," she shrugged bitterly.

Inuyasha sighed heavily and raised a hand toward her face. The woman seemed to brace herself for a blow. When he brushed a strand of hair back behind her ear, she flinched. "You actually think I'd hit you?" he asked gently. "I know we used to kick each other's ass when we sparred, but I wouldn't do that to you."

Kagome stared intently at the floor. "I thought there was a plane to catch."

"Figured if I told you seven you'd show up before noon."

"Oooh," a new voice broke in and both turned quickly. "Passion, murder, and intrigue! It's a Lifetime movie! So tell me, how long into the picture am I going to have to wait before the actual sex shows up?"

Miroku's perverted teasing was cut short when a staff was thrown at him. The agent caught it reflexively before turning to look at the source.

Kagome seemed to be having trouble deciding between a staff and a pair of blunted daggers.

"Anything and everything?" Inuyasha asked, now leaning against the far wall.

Twirling her own staff in her hand, Kagome shrugged. "Never know what's available."

Miroku looked from the staff in his hands to the one the woman before him was twirling gracefully. "She's gonna kick my ass, isn't she?"

"I'll avenge your pride," his partner waved his hand dismissively.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," the short-haired agent quipped.

"Enough talk," Kagome stopped twirling the staff and aimed a strike for Miroku's head.

His eyes bulged comically but he managed to evade it.

"Oi!" Inuyasha was grinning. "Who said you could go easy on him?"

"Wha-?" Miroku sputtered, dodging a flurry of attacks, blocking a few with the staff. "What do you mean 'easy'?"

The other agent only shrugged.

Moments later, the staff was flipped out of the young man's hands and rolled across the floor. Aiming the end of the staff at the agent, the assassin smiled grimly, "You're dead."

The song that was playing ended and Sinergy's 'The Bitch is Back' started up.

"Perfect timing," Souta Higurashi smiled from his place at the door. "Our flight's when? 12:30?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha nodded.

"Sis, pack, now."

Kagome wandered out of the room, grumbling, switching the stereo off as she walked past.

"And don't touch those weapons, Saishi!"

* * *

"Ugh," Kagome stumbled out of the airport and into the sunlight. She rolled her shoulder to adjust her pack and snatched Souta's luggage from him. "I hate flying." 

"Yeah, I know," Inuyasha hefted his bag. "You also hate Naraku, brain-dead heiresses, cottage cheese, and, if I remember correctly, Venezuela."

"Don't start with me. That hit was a pain in the ass."

"He was 76," the agent pointed out, ignoring his partner's chant of 'La la la! I can't hear you!'.

"He had bodyguards the size of Mount Rushmore!" the assassin whined.

"If you'd gone in the third floor window, like we'd planned, you wouldn't have had to mess with them."

"And have my ass stuck on a ledge when the Moron Brigade showed up? No thank you."

"Don't knock the Moron Brigade," he hit her upside the head, playfully. "They've gotten better."

She snorted and swatted his hand away. "Yeah, only five SNAFU's this year. Go them."

"Saishi!"

Kagome watched curiously as Inuyasha took a deep breath and dropped his chin to his chest. "Why him?"

"Saishi! Get yer ass over here!" She could see the other man now. Her mind told her that, with his 5'7", 176 pound frame, she could probably kick his ass.

'Take that back,' she mused, raising an eyebrow at the horn-rimmed glasses and pocket protector. 'Souta could kick his ass.'

"Whaddaya want?" Inuyasha's typical drawl was annoyed now.

"I'm supposed to take your sorry ass to HQ," the overly placid look on Inuyasha's face made it perfectly clear that he was seconds away from decking the guy.

"I figured that," he muttered.

"See you brought back that 'specialist' you went to fetch," Souta smiled tightly as the guy sized him up. Turning to Kagome, the 'agent-with-a-deathwish' laughed, "How cute! He brought his girlfriend."

Kagome straightened, lips pursed in disgust. "Sorry, asshole. My family doesn't swing that way. Care to go for strike two?"

Miroku tapped his partner on the shoulder, "Should we shut him up before he really pisses her off?"

"Saishi," the irritating voice came again. "Would you mind putting a leash on your bitch?"

The grin on Inuyasha's face was dark when he told Miroku, "No. He has it coming."

"Fuck!" the misogynistic agent had a meeting with the sidewalk, courtesy of a well-placed sweep kick.

Kagome knelt in front of him, her catlike movements beginning to frighten the rookie. "I've killed bigger men than you with a fork and my fist. Don't assume that you're safe," standing smoothly, she kicked the agent with the toe of her boot. "Now, get your ass into the car, like a good little wuss, and drive yourself to 'HQ'. Capisce?"

He scrambled to his feet, needing no further instruction, jumped into the car and sped off.

Kagome began walking off towards the center of town. "We're walking, boys!" she called over her shoulder.

Miroku sputtered indignantly, waving at what was supposed to be their ride. "But! Wh- why?"

Inuyasha immediately walked past him, following the assassin's lead. "Bit warm for that leather, don'tcha think?"

Kagome glanced down at her outfit. Black leather pants, navy blue skintight top, black leather mid-thigh jacket, more black leather in the form of three-inch heel boots. "Maneuverability and maximum damage," she answered calmly, glancing over her shoulder.

Miroku turned to the seemingly sane member of the family. "Why are we walking?" he whined. "It's hot."

"Dude," Souta patted the top of the agent's head. "Never move to New Mexico."

That said, he took off after his sister and the other agent.

* * *

"You're late," a weathered, but amused, voice noted as they reached the front of the building located at 10th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. "Hayesworth came in twenty minutes ago, screaming that some psychotic woman had threatened to kill him. Know anything about it?" A sharply dressed woman who looked to be about 45 fell in step with them. 

"Kids these days," Kagome smiled brightly, answering for the agents. "Can't be too careful around them."

Inuyasha carefully disguised a snort as a cough, while Miroku remained seemingly impassive.

The small group bypassed the ridiculously long queue when Inuyasha, Miroku and the woman all flashed identification at the door.

"Can you believe how many people want in here?" Miroku shook his head. "It really isn't all that impressive."

"Oh, my god!" Someone with a ridiculously high voice shrieked. "It's an agent!"

Kagome, never breaking stride, shifted away from the three agents.

Another voice broke out, "Would you believe what they wear to work?"

"Yeah," the first voice returned. "So kick-ass!"

Now confused, the assassin glanced over at her companions. Slacks, dress shirt, suit coat…How _exactly_ was that 'kick-ass'?

"Love the boots!" the second voice called.

"Ignore them," a very amused Inuyasha was next to her now.

The group continued walking past the 'tourist' area and into the main part of the building. The woman quickly ushered them into what seemed like a conference room. Hayesworth was already there.

"That's her!" he shrieked, pointing to Kagome. "She's insane! She tried to kill me!"

"No," the assassin drawled. "If I tried to kill you, you'd be dead."

"Or horribly disfigured," Souta quipped, not liking this agent at all. "Either way, it wouldn't be pretty."

"So," the sharply dressed woman cut off Hayesworth's next shout. "Saishi tells me that you are an old friend of his."

Kagome snorted, shooting the agent a dry look. "Something like that."

"Why don't you tell me who you are?"

"I think the actual question here is: who the hell are you?"

"Insubordinate!" Hayesworth screamed.

"Shut up!" three voices sounded.

"It's alright," the woman smiled calmly. "I'm Kaede Thompson. I run this circus."

The reaction was immediate. The assassin snapped to attention and was rattling off her name, unit, date of retirement, and ID code before anyone knew what was happening.

"Thank you for the information," Kaede continued to smile. "But I assure you, I'm not a superior officer, you don't need to be so formal."

"I beg to differ, Ma'am," the raven-haired assassin continued to stare straight ahead. "Keeping this Bureau running smoothly and dealing with the," she paused and eyed Hayesworth distastefully, "attitudes I've seen from the agents shows me that, not only are you a superior, you have the patience of a saint."

Liking the girl already, Kaede turned to Inuyasha. "Now, Saishi, why can't you ever be respectful?"

Inuyasha opened his mouth to answer but Kagome beat him to it, "Ma'am, I don't believe that term is in his somewhat limited vocabulary."

"Hey," Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at her. "I _am _a superior officer, Missy."

"No sir," the assassin flashed him a brief grin. "Merely a higher ranking one."

"I get the feeling you'll be alright," Kaede laughed to herself.

* * *

The assassin watched, amused, as a couple of agents tussled over an assignment. Apparently, the female wasn't too thrilled about having to wear a bathing suit. Kagome didn't blame her. 

A smooth, faintly Southern voice spoke beside her. "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent."

"Asimov," Kagome shook her head. "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."

"Emerson," he returned. "You are quite the paradox."

She turned to look at the man. "What are you? The FBI's personal undertaker?"

He gave her a slight smile. "No, merely a displaced agent."

"You belong here more than I do then."

"Quite," he said simply.

Five minutes later an annoyed Inuyasha meandered into the room. "Your presence is requested on the bridge, m'lady," he gave a mocking bow.

Kagome rolled her eyes and affected a New Yorker's accent. "Coming, Dahling."

"Get over here!" the agent snapped, tapping one foot on the floor. "You and 'AXL' can talk later."

Amused, she turned to the agent next to her. He was frowning. "'AXL'?"

"An unfortunate coincidence in naming, I assure you," his tone was light.

"Wench," Inuyasha's normally limited patience was severely strained. "I'd like to be there sometime this century."

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, Saishi," she addressed the other agent again. "Catch you around," she paused unsure of the man's name and not wanting to offend him.

"Pendergast is fine," he smiled. "I rather loathe my first name, and it is quite difficult to spell."

"Pendergast," she nodded. "Got it."

The quiet agent watched as she fairly marched to where Saishi was waiting with his arms crossed.

"Took ya long enough," Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at her. "And flirting with him is no excuse."

"Whatever you say," the assassin fell in step with him. "And he happens to be an interesting conversationalist. Unlike other people I know."

When Inuyasha tried to turn his glare on the other man, he was already gone. "Damnit. I hate it when he does that."

* * *

"I can't believe you were flirting with him." 

"Oh, quit sulking," Kagome rolled her eyes. "I wasn't flirting. And I can't believe you call him 'AXL'."

"You've run into the elusive Mr. Pendergast, have you?" Kaede looked up from her paperwork. "The next time you run into him, if you'd tell him to see me? There's a situation that needs debriefing."

"I would," Kagome sighed. "But Iron Man here," she swatted at Inuyasha, "may have scared him off."

"I assure you, it takes much more than Saishi to scare Pendergast," Kaede had an odd smirk. "Now, on to business."

"I'm pretty sure you know as much as I do," Kagome dropped into a chair.

"Actually," Kaede closed the folder in front of her and removed her glasses. "I think you may know more than you're telling us."

Kagome grinned. "Well, aren't we smart this morning."

"Miss Higurashi," Kaede sighed deeply. "This is a matter of life or death for many people. _Innocent_ people."

"_Miss_ Thompson," Kagome parroted. "All that will happen when your agents get themselves involved is that they'll get themselves killed. They have no place in that world."

"I think you underestimate my agents," Kaede smiled tightly.

"I think you underestimate assassins," Kagome shot back.

"I think I'll go get coffee," Inuyasha muttered and headed out the door.

Trying a different tactic, Kaede said neutrally, "My agents tell me you have an informant."

"I do," Kagome raised an eyebrow.

"And how would we contact him?" Kaede found a sheet of paper and a pen and was poised to write.

Kagome narrowed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. "We assassins have two rules for talking with feds," she said slowly.

The older woman looked at her quizzically. "And?"

"The first one is: Don't reveal everything you know."

The director's hand clenched around the pen. "You are not being very helpful."

"I'm not trying to be."

Taking a deep breath, Kaede tried again. "How about this: You watch the agents for a while, put a team together, and you can run part of the investigation?"

Kagome tilted her head. "Saishi and his buddy are in. His buddy seems grounded and I know Saishi, he can think on his feet, usually. I also want whoever's heading Unit 2887 these days. I'm going to need three of your best computer guys, two chemists, a ballistics lab, and a bomb unit. My brother is in charge of all communication between myself and my informant, he'll also take care of anything from the team to you. And if I hear of even one attempt to bug anything on this operation, all deals are off. You throw me in jail for whatever it is you want, my brother goes home, and you can catch the bastards on your own time."

Kaede smiled, "I think I can deal with that."

* * *

"I've been doing some research," Miroku fell in step with the assassin and ex-government-assassin. "This 'Unit 2887'? It doesn't exist." 

"They want you to think that," Kagome smiled tightly. "We're their little black mark."

"That's comforting," Miroku looked to Inuyasha for help.

"2887 is a specialized branch of the Special Forces," the agent spoke mechanically. "Nicknamed 'Angel of Death'. Mysterious death of a terrorist leader? Probably a 2887 operation."

"Basically," Kagome took over. "Someone pisses the government off, they tell us, we find, we kill."

"Sounds right up your alley," Miroku commented.

"It was," Kagome nodded. "Until 825 anyway."

"825?"

"Newbies grew egos," Inuyasha shrugged. "Bigshots didn't like it, sent the unit on a wild-goose chase in one of the militant sections of Kazakhstan. The leader there decided that he didn't want this group of infidels running around, gave a shoot to kill order. Our pick-up site was halfway across the damn country."

"And in militant sections, word travels fast," Kagome rubbed her shoulder lightly. "One leader raises the alarm, soon everyone's hunting for the danger. More than half the unit was killed. Most of the ones left were older ones; they'd been around. The young ones left were fast learners."

"At least some made it," Miroku winced as he said it.

The assassin snorted, "You're one of those annoying optimists, aren't you?"

"I've been called that. Besides, it isn't so bad. You're here."

The assassin moved in front of him, turned, and stopped. "Ever dug a semi-automatic bullet out of a 19 year old's back with nothing but a pocket knife and a sharpened twig?"

"Can't say I've had the pleasure, no," Miroku grimaced at the image.

"The government killed my family," she smiled grimly. "I simply return the favor."

She stormed off, leaving a very confused Miroku to again turn to his partner.

"Unit equals family," Saishi threw over his shoulder as he followed her.

"It's like a retroactive soap opera," Miroku shook his head.

* * *

"What have we got, Souta?" Kagome glanced at the com system her brother was tweaking. 

"You guys do know that your equipment's shit, right?" the young man glanced at the two agents in the room. "Complete and utter shit."

"Yeah, they hate coms," Kagome cut Souta off before he could start a rant. "Give me some good news."

"Well," he flipped open a box and pulled out what looked like a button. "I have enough of these babies patched in to cover the entire team."

"Button cams," Miroku nodded. "Nice."

"No way," the assassin shook her head. "I've told you before."

"Sis, I swear," he glared at her. "If you start pulling that 'Me, Lone Ranger, You, Tonto' shit again, I will slap you."

"I'm not using it."

"May we move on?" Inuyasha had dropped into a chair and was busy counting ceiling tiles.

"Yeah, fine," Souta gave his sister another pointed glare and continued. "I've secured three lines for use. And with Her Royal Highness's permission, I can arrange the next meeting with our informant."

Kagome waved a hand idly. "Go ahead. Just scooch over, would ya? There's a forum I want to check."

Souta rolled his eyes, but moved. He began to go through the various untraceable lines they used to contact their informant.

Meanwhile, the two agents were crowded around, partially monitoring this 'forum' Kagome was checking and partially watching him work.

The forum Kagome was currently checking was used as a sort of 'meeting place' for assassins and potential clients. Someone wanted a hit, they posted the details, the assassins bid on the job, and the client chose whoever they wanted to do it. She scanned the new 'topics'.

"They want the KKK head killed," she muttered. "Fifth time they've posted that."

"Five minutes," Souta noted. "That is, if he answers his phone."

"Hmmm, Green Peace boat. Some people are just sick."

"Pizza alright tonight?"

"Hit taken?" She clicked the link. "And yeah, pizza's fine."

She skimmed the info on the board. "Souta, forget the informant, get me a direct line to Onigumo. STAT."

"Will do," he closed out his current task and started over, this time to contact Onigumo. "Find something interesting?"

"If by interesting you mean disgusting, tasteless, and morally reprehensible, yeah."

"Babes!" The oily voice rang out in the room. "Changed your mind?"

"Cut the crap," The assassin pinched the bridge of her nose. "Singer hit, details, now."

"Oh, Babes, I can't help you there," Inuyasha was positive that if they'd had a camera on the man, he'd be smiling.

"Come on! African-American senator with a Jewish wife? RaHoWa sprayed all over the place? Neo-Nazi propaganda everywhere? It positively reeks of you."

"And you say that because?"

"Only you would stoop that low."

"I seem to remember a certain someone and an incident with a dog."

The agents turned to Souta. 'Dog?' they asked silently.

"Don't even start that. Those morons were using dynamite. Zed was a retriever."

There was an odd barking noise coming over the line now. "Boom! Huh, Babes?"

Inuyasha turned to Souta, "Is that guy on something?"

"Tell your buddy there I'm 'high on life'," Onigumo chirped.

"Or crack," Kagome deadpanned.

"Well," the man sniffed. "If you're going to be such a bitch about it…" There was a dial tone.

"Who's a cocky bastard?" Miroku shook his head.

"He knows something we don't," the assassin stood. "Souta, see if you can set that meeting up for this Thursday rather than next Tuesday. "

"Got it," he was already reconnecting with the informant. "Have fun, Sis. Don't kill anyone."

"Where is she going?" Miroku wondered aloud.

"Same place she always goes," Souta shrugged. "To kick the shit out of something."

He spun around to tell the agents about the elusive 'informant' but both of them were gone.

"I'm buying bells."

* * *

She hadn't really been trying to pick a fight with anyone. Honest. These two morons just decided she'd be an easy sparring partner. 

Now, not only were they a bit sorry, they were getting their asses kicked. She figured she should feel bad, what with her injuring their pride and all, but they way they telegraphed moves made her decide she didn't care.

'Butch is gonna throw a right hook…' she mused. 'Now.'

Sure enough, his fist came flying towards her face. She used one of her preferred moves to simultaneously dodge him and throw him off balance. He went down.

"Bitch!" Grumpy yelled, seeing his partner fall.

Kagome nearly laughed at his 'angry face'. He looked constipated. And he was telegraphing worse than ever. 'Left, kick, right,' she could swear this guy was repeating a Tae-Bo film.

Growing bored, she launched a kick at his side, only to find it stopped. She pouted at Inuyasha, who currently had a very good grip on her ankle.

"Spoil my fun."

The agent shrugged, grinning, "You looked bored."

Miroku, sensing a golden opportunity, began to mingle with the slowly growing crowd. "Wagers! Place your wagers!" he called out.

Ignoring him, Kagome announced, "You really should teach your agents not to telegraph moves…Or at least to feint."

"That's exactly why I don't bother with them," Inuyasha smiled lightly in return. "Now, I'm going to let go of your ankle and you're going to leave them alone. Clear?"

"Crystal."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at her all-too-innocent grin, but released her anyway. He smirked and leapt back when she immediately tried to sweep kick him. "Nice try."

Still in a crouch, the assassin grinned wickedly. "C'mere, asshole."

The ensuing fight forced several of the agents to reevaluate opinions. Kicks and punches were almost too fast to follow but were still dodged. Flips and ridiculously high leaps almost made it seem that a hit would never be landed…And the 'How's the weather?' tone of the simultaneous conversation made the combatants seem almost bored.

"And when did you leave?" Kagome asked, dodging several blows and returning with a high kick.

Leaning out of her range, the agent replied, "Oh, couple months after you did." He feinted a blow to the right. "Got boring."

Recognizing the bluff for what it was, she ducked under it. "C'mon, old man!" she laughed. "Don't tell me you're getting rusty!"

Arching an eyebrow, he aimed a kick at her side. It connected and she overbalanced with a slight 'thud'. Crouching next to her grinning, panting figure, he tilted his head. "Old man?"

"Smart ass," she breathed heavily. Then, showing surprising flexibility, she kicked his legs out from under him.

"Ow," he muttered, staring at the ceiling. "Alright, I get it. Don't use your move against you."

"And don't you forget it," she nodded. "These mats are really comfortable. Ya think I could take a nap?"

"They are really soft, aren't they?" Inuyasha closed his eyes. "A nap sounds good."

Everything was quiet for a moment, save the twittering of the other agents, before Kagome frowned. "Could you move? Your fat ass is putting my leg to sleep."

* * *

"Colonel Hammond?" 

Sango looked up when the soft voice reached her ears.

Captain Michaels immediately snapped to attention and offered a salute.

"At ease," Sango smiled.

Michaels relaxed.

"What did you need?" grateful for an excuse to leave her paperwork, Sango pushed away from her desk.

"It's the FBI," Michaels winced slightly. "Director Thompson wants to speak to you."

"If she's trying to recruit again," the slim woman fairly growled, "you can tell her, with all due res-"

"-She's not," the young captain reassured. "It would be best if you'd speak to her."

Sango narrowed her eyes before sighing. "Fine. I'll talk to her."

Michaels nodded and left the room.

Sango glared at the phone for a moment, then picked it up. "Colonel Sango Hammond speaking."

* * *

_**A/N2: I'll be posting more of this and Siren once I have my own computer back. In the meantime, drop me a line...**_


	4. Chapter 3

**_Disclaimer: Me no own, you no sue. K?_**

**_A/N: So, Siren's been bugging me and I decided to work on this one for a while...I thought I'd posted the first few scenes from this chap, but lo-and-behold, I hadn't. Sango gets involved and the mysterious sister shows up. Identities have mostly been guessed, but watch out for a clue as to Snake's. _**

* * *

Sango glared at the building in front of her. Cracking her neck, she proceeded forward. 

"Hold it," an agent unlucky enough to be relegated to security duty stopped her. "I need ID."

Sango was about to let him have it when a somewhat familiar voice answered instead. "She's with me. Got a problem with it?"

The agent hurriedly waved her through. Sango trotted up to the woman she'd once seen as a sister.

"Kagome? I didn't know you worked with the Bureau."

"I don't," the other woman answered shortly, already moving deeper into the building. "Saishi called me in on a favor."

"Saishi?"

"C'mon!" Kagome threw an incredulous glance over her shoulder. "You didn't know he was in here? His partner's a piece of work; peace-nik and whatnot."

Sango shrugged mildly. "He didn't seem the type."

"Yeah," the woman nodded. "I thought that too, 'til he showed up at my apartment demanding I work for him."

Sango let out a snort; _that_ sounded like Saishi.

Kagome threw open a set of double doors, chiming, "Souta! News?"

"He says no," Souta shoved his cinnamon colored bangs out of his eyes.

Sango surveyed the room. Saishi was flipping a butterfly knife open and closed. Some unknown agent with short, black hair was practically begging him to quit, saying it made him nervous. Kagome was scowling, waiting for someone to answer their phone, and Souta was rolling his eyes.

"Please?" the unknown male whined. "You know I hate that thing!"

Saishi simply flipped it closed again, waved a greeting to Sango, and then went back to toying with the knife, his expression close to devious.

Kagome, who'd been watching him, shook her head, motioning for him to toss it over. Grinning, he did.

The unknown agent sighed in relief, relaxing into his chair.

Sango leaned against a wall. Bunch of psychos this was.

Still holding the cell phone to her ear with one hand, Kagome began an intricate series of moves with the knife, ending by tossing it back to Saishi.

Inuyasha chuckled as his partner ducked reflexively when the assassin threw the, now closed, knife. Catching the weapon, he repeated the series Kagome had done, tacking on a few moves of his own, and introduced the new arrival. "Sango, meet the pervert, Miroku. Miroku, touch Sango and you'll probably have three people out to kill you."

"Four," came the dry voice from the doorway. "Put that away, Saishi. It's an illegal weapon, remember."

"But very useful," Kagome added in an undertone. "Damnit Wolf, pick up."

A muffled response emerged from the line and the assassin immediately launched into a profanity-riddled rant, the gist of which was 'what the hell do you mean "no"?'.

"Good morning to you, too," Kaede looked to the others in the room for an explanation.

"Informant," Souta shrugged.

Sango looked from one person to the next for some kind of news. "Why am I here?"

Miroku smiled broadly. "Because, my lady, we needed someone of your…" he looked her up and down, grinning all the while, "elegance."

Sango's military training forced her back to become rigid. She looked to Kagome for a moment.

The assassin paused in glaring at the short-haired agent long enough to give her a nod.

Sango turned to Saishi, who rolled his eyes and looked away; his form of approval.

Satisfied that both of her former superiors consented, Sango marched forward, slapped Miroku, pivoted on her heel, and returned to her place against the wall. The agent rubbed his cheek for a few seconds, then grinned again, "Can I marry you?"

The colonel was just about to repeat the process when Kagome let out a seething, "He _what_?!"

Holding up a finger to forestall any questions the assassin continued with her call. "I understand. No…No…Listen to me, we'll come up with something…You know how to contact me. Don't use this number again."

The cell was thrown onto the table. Kagome looked to Saishi, then Sango before speaking again. "Soft winds whisper the bidding of trees."

Souta stared at his sister. "Care to explain that?"

"Not here," Inuyasha answered for her. "C'mon."

* * *

The six had left the building and were heading south along 9th Street before anyone opened their mouths. 

"Who knows?" Kagome spoke tersely. "In the Bureau."

"Not many," Miroku shrugged.

"Maybe twenty," Kaede added.

"Twenty-four," Inuyasha corrected. "That I've had direct contact with. I don't know how many they've talked to."

Kagome smiled grimly. "One of 'em's a rat."

"Whaddaya know," Sango didn't sound surprised. "Guess that idiotic music system came in handy…For once."

"Are you sure that room was bugged?" Inuyasha was piecing everything together it seemed. Finally.

"'A pervert,'" Kagome quoted. "'Perfect. Blade should do the trick. Newbie's a spitfire though. Gotta call in the big guns.'"

Sango smirked proudly, while Miroku sputtered.

Sango's smirk faded as she realized something. "Then the informant…"

"Hell yeah, Wolf's in on it," Kagome grinned triumphantly. "He's part of the damn inner circle. Onigumo thinks Snake's going to turn on him so he's bringing Wolf closer. Even gave him a Top Priority assignment."

The hamster turning the wheel in Saishi's brain was apparently working overtime. He spoke formally, "Director Thompson, I request that Agent Taira and myself provide residence for our …guests."

Kaede, rather than simply nod, began formulating her own plan. "Saishi, you stay with Taira. Our guests can use your flat for the time being. "

* * *

"Home sweet Bachelor Pad," Kagome sighed, looking around the small flat. Walking off for a self-guided 'tour' she shook her head. "He works for the FBI and can only afford this?" 

Sango shrugged, "Maybe this is all he wants."

Arching an eyebrow at the full-size bed, complete with cotton sheets, and the ragged carpet, dyed burgundy, the assassin pursed her lips. "And maybe that 'prick of a brother' of his took his paycheck."

Souta, having taken his own tour and stumbled on the game/technology room, delightedly called, "Sis, if you ever come out of this relationship-hating phase, I totally give you permission to marry this guy!"

"Well, hot damn, Squirt! That's just what I wanted for Christmas: permission to date! If I'm really good, will ya let me fuck him?"

Following her voice, the Comms wiz made his way to the bedroom, dryly adding, "At this point, you're abusing sarcasm."

Sango snorted. "I'll take the couch, you two can duke it out over the bed."

Souta shrugged, exchanging a glance with his sister. "Flip a coin?"

A knock cut off her response.

Signaling to Sango to stay back, the assassin made her way to the door. Smoothly drawing her handgun, a relatively small ASP, from its holster, she reached for the knob, half-expecting it to be Saishi.

Throwing the door open, Kagome leveled the weapon at the visitor. The dark-haired man back-pedaled quickly before staring at her.

"I thought Saishi lived here?" he checked the number on the door, confused.

"He's staying with a friend," the woman raised an eyebrow. "And you are?"

"Uh, Bankotsu," he smiled nervously. "D'you have a permit for that?"

Kagome didn't answer, opting to shut the door in his face instead.

Bankotsu stared at the wood for a moment before spinning on his heel and heading for the exit. Jakotsu was going to love this.

* * *

"I thought I told you not to answer the door," Inuyasha answered after a long silence. 

Kagome pulled the phone from her ear, glared at it for a moment, then replaced it. "And just what was I supposed to do? If he'd been a hostile, he would have gotten in."

"Then you'd have shot him," Saishi was getting impatient. "Just don't answer the damn door, alright?"

"Careful, Saishi," the assassin smirked. "Someone will start thinking you care."

A dial tone answered her. Kagome rolled her eyes, grinning to herself; Inuyasha was just too easy to mess with. "I'm going for a walk," she announced to her new flatmates. "Don't answer the door."

Sango peered around the corner from the kitchen. "And if it's Saishi?"

The other woman thought for a moment before smirking, "Let him stay out there 'til I get back."

Sango laughed while Souta glared at his sister.

* * *

Kagome had just gotten to one of DC's few natural areas when someone surprised her. 

"So, Babes, what's this I hear about you going fed?"

Rolling her eyes, Kagome reholstered her gun and turned to face Onigumo. "One: Not willingly. Two: Fuck off."

"Can't do that."

"You murdered my sister. Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now."

"Babes, the first three-hundred times you said that, it was amusing. Now, it's just kinda boring," Onigumo winced in mock-sympathy.

Kagome sneered and aimed her pistol at his head.

Holding up his hands, Onigumo backtracked quickly. "Especially since it's not true."

Her aim faltered. "What the hell are you saying?"

"Babes, think about it: she was working for me. Why would I kill such a valuable resource?"

Kagome shrugged. "'Cause you're a fucking psychopath?"

Onigumo sighed. Realized that this was going nowhere, he asked gently, "What do you know about your sister's death?"

"There was a hit placed on her," Kagome frowned. "You took it. You killed her."

"I didn't mean that."

When she faltered again, he gently took hold of her weapon, pointing it away from himself. "I meant about _how_ she died."

"She was shot," the smaller assassin insisted stubbornly. "By you."

Onigumo looked at her sadly. "Babes, what's my M.O.?"

"Glock," she answered mechanically. "As many bullets as possible."

"Your sister was killed with a single shot to the heart," he informed her, watching with a mixture of pity and glee as she seemed to crumble. "From a Beretta."

"How could you know that?" she stared resolutely past him, forcing herself not to cry or claw his eyes out.

"I was there," he whispered. "I saw it."

Her eyes shot to his. "Who?"

Onigumo smothered a grin. He had her right where he wanted her.

* * *

Inuyasha did not like being locked out. Especially not out of his own damn apartment. 

"Souta, I swear to god, if you do not let me in right now, I will kick your ass all the way back to New Mexico."

The young man's voice made its way through the filter of the door. "Sorry man, Sis's orders. And I fear her ass-kicking much more than yours."

Inuyasha's roar of frustration was somewhat cut off by his being slammed into the wall.

"I just want to know one thing before I kill you, " a voice barely recognizable as human, much less female, snarled into his ear. "Why?"

* * *

**_A/N2: In the immortal words of Scooby Doo: Ruh-roh..._**


	5. Chapter 4

**_A/N: ...I would have had this up sooner, but decided to go on the fritz. It's a bit short, but it clears up the cliffhanger from the last chapter._**

* * *

_Recap: "I just want to know one thing before I kill you, " a voice barely recognizable as human, much less female, snarled into his ear. "Why?"_

* * *

"Why what?" he asked a bit dumbly. 

"You know exactly 'what', Saishi," the voice sneered. "I want to know why."

And with that he was turned around to face a very angry, very emotional assassin…And her handgun, but it took a moment to register that.

"I'm sorry," he said lightly, frowning. "I've just been slammed into a wall here: I'm a little bit confused. What exactly did I do?"

"Girl about my height," Kagome sneered. "Looked a bit like me. Grey eyes. Involved in the case. " The barrel of the handgun was pressed a little more forcefully into his temple. "Any of this ringing a bell?"

He looked at her dryly. "A gong, actually. I still have no clue what I did and why you're so pissed about it."

"She was my sister, dumbass, " the assassin snarled, shaking him. "You shot her."

Inuyasha blinked. "What?"

Kagome shook her head. "You really thought I wouldn't find out? You thought she was working for you. Onigumo thought she was working for him. Both of you found out. You placed a hit on her. You _shot_ my _sister_."

"Kagome," he tried gently. "I didn't, I-"

The assassin cut him off, her finger pressing ever so lightly on the trigger. "Give me one reason – one _fucking good_ reason – why I should believe you."

Losing his patience, Inuyasha finally raised his voice. "Because I was going to marry her, okay!"

Shock and what may have been hurt flashed across the woman's face and she released him.

"I was going to marry her," he reiterated, calmer now.

The gun fell from her hand and she began backing away from him. "I- I nearly…I just…"

Slowly moving towards her, Inuyasha tried to appear as harmless as possible. "Kagome, you need to calm down."

"I could have killed you," she was talking to the floor now. "_Would_ have killed you."

"You didn't," he reassured.

She hit the opposite wall and breathed out, "I believed him."

"Believed who?"

Rather than answer him, Kagome turned and fled.

"Shit!" the cry drew the agent's attention to the open door, just as Souta flew by him and after his sister. "Sis! Don't do this!"

Inuyasha looked to Sango. The woman raised her hands in innocence and idly began whistling the Twilight Zone theme.

* * *

Once Kagome had reached the outside air, she immediately dropped to her knees. Her hands cradled her head as her frenzied mind tried to sort out the events of the past hour. 

She had no idea what Naraku had been playing at or even how he'd known who she was working with: an audio bug could only tell so much.

They needed to find the mole, and fast. Denials be damned, Wolf was going to be getting a visit from her and it would not be pleasant.

* * *

The next morning was tense. Souta watched his sister carefully as she and Saishi avoided saying more than three words at a time to each other. Sango was typically taciturn, but even she was unusually quiet. 

Miroku on the other hand…

"Jeez, trouble in paradise?" the agent smiled, setting the trays of Starbucks on the table. "Don't tell me you two are already having relationship problems! Didn't you read the script: Fun and games of the horizontal kind, _then_ the angst!"

Sango decided that, while it would be fun to watch her superiors slaughter the agent, she should probably keep the man out of trouble. Who knew, the pervert might actually prove useful.

"I'd strongly advise you to remain silent," the colonel remarked.

"Those two are doing enough of that for all of us," Miroku gestured to the pair, who were now quite diligently glaring at him.

Still glaring at the man, Kagome spoke to her brother. "Call the informant back. Tell him I won't accept 'no' for an answer."

* * *

Inuyasha'd had his doubts about this 'informant' from the moment he heard about him. When he'd found out about the SFI exchange, he'd begun not liking the man. It was pretty fair to say that now, knowing where the man stood in the organization, he hated the bastard. 

Kaede was leaning back in her chair, waiting, along with the rest of the team, for Kagome's call.

It had only been an hour ago when the assassin had headed out, rolling her eyes at the informant's choice of rendezvous and Inuyasha had the sinking feeling that this was going to be a long night.

He impatiently tapped his fingers on the arm of his own chair, an action that only caused the room's occupants to stare at him. He looked from face to face before letting out a frustrated growl.

Standing, he headed for the door. "I'm going out!" he called over his shoulder.

Watching the door slam shut, Kaede only sighed.

* * *

Kagome stared openly at the motel. She could already smell the foul bouquet of scents that floated from the various rooms. If this had been a horror movie, she wouldn't be within ten miles of the shithole. Unfortunately, this wasn't a movie. 

Stiffening her resolve, she made her way towards the stairs. Damn Wolf for getting a room on the top anyway.

She eventually reached 306 and knocked, sighing when, true to cliché, the action caused the six to turn upside down.

The voice that called "Enter" didn't really sound like Wolf. Maybe Wolf with a really bad headcold, but she'd never known him to be sick.

Wishing that she hadn't left her gun behind, she forced the door open, pushing her way into the dark room.

The door shut behind her and she let her eyes adjust to the dark. Naturally, there was a bed, a nightstand, a lamp, and that dark rectangle may have been a bible. Kagome shook her head, thinking sarcastically that the motel had probably even left stationary around here somewhere.

There was silence for a few minutes before Kagome got annoyed. "C'mon Wolf, tell me what I need to know, take what you want, and let's go."

A slight snicker answered her. "Unfortunately," the voice simpered. "Wolf couldn't make it. He sent me instead. Unlike him, I really don't give a shit whether you live or die…Unfortunately for you."

Senses on full alert, Kagome lunged for the nearest possible light source: the lamp. Twisting the knob, hating the clicks it let out, she nearly threw the thing when no light emerged.

The snicker turned into a laugh. "Perhaps I should have warned you, I've…disabled the lights. Nothing personal, you see, I just prefer it this way. Much more dramatic," she could feel the man's breath on her neck and she froze. "Don't you think?"

Driving her elbow back into the man's stomach, she felt a searing pain in her shoulder before wet warmth made its way down.

"What kind of asshole," she darted away, keeping her voice light, "brings a knife to a fist-fight?"

The voice's humor turned to a sneer. "What?" he was barely five feet from her. "You don't like my present?"

"I'm always up for a challenge," she retorted. "Usually though, my opponents aren't cowards."

If the roar was anything to go by, she'd hit a nerve. She heard fabric rustle to her left and dodged right. The blade sliced through her shirt and barely nicked her side.

"You're going to have to do a lot better than that," she chided, stepping back, feeling for any possible weapons.

The man stayed silent.

Her hand bumped into something solid. Great, a chair. What the hell was she supposed to do with a fuckin' armchair?

She again heard the movement of fabric and quickly flipped over the back of the chair, receiving a gash down her calf for her effort. She landed in a crouch, wounded leg colliding with the floor, and stifled a hiss.

"C'mon, darling," the man spoke again. "I know you're hurt. All anyone wants is cooperation. You help us, we help you."

Kagome felt around her. Where there's a chair, there has to be a- There! She grasped the central support of the flimsy table, hefting it.

"Of course, if you agree to a certain condition-"

The assassin quickly flung the weak weapon at the voice, allowing a small amount of pride at the resulting curse. She heard the thud of the man's body hitting the ground and dove to attack him.

She felt the blade cut into the muscle of her side before he pulled it back to try for a vital area. She let out a small pained noise and instinctively moved to avoid his strike: she was pretty sure the resulting slash would scar.

Grabbing her flailing arm, the man twisted, rolling them. Sitting on her stomach, he sneered, "I prefer this position, don't you?"

She didn't have a chance to answer before the door was kicked in and, after a split-second's pause, a single shot rang out.

The man's body slumped over her, pinning her. Craning her neck awkwardly, she looked back at the door. 'I know that stance,' she mused.

Before her now-tired mind could place it, the figure shook its head, muttering, "Fucker."

Kagome's breath left her in a rush. "Saishi?" she panted out.

The agent found the lightswitch and flipped it, bathing the room in a yellow glow. "You alright?"

"Better than I could be," she admitted.

"He is an ugly motherfucker, isn't he?" he sounded about as amused as a man reading his death sentence.

"Wouldn't know," the man's weight was nearly crushing her. "Didn't look."

Saishi snorted, giving the man's side a brutal kick, rolling him off of her. He grimaced before helping her up, guiding her to sit on the bed and handing her a phone. "Call Kaede, then we'll get you fixed up."

* * *

Onigumo frowned at the metallic scent of blood in the room. Wolf was obviously nowhere to be found: he'd taken off at the last second, sending in one of the underlings to take care of their little pest. 

Flipping on the light, he smothered a scream of frustration. 'Shink' sat in the dingy room's armchair, a bullet through his head and a note pinned to his chest.

Onigumo ripped the blade from the dead man's chest and snatched the note.

'Asshole,' the note began. 'Sorry, try again.' It was signed 'Higurashi.'

* * *

Fortunately, Inuyasha discovered that Kagome's wounds were mostly superficial. The puncture in her side and the gash on her leg would require a bit of care, but she had fared pretty well. 

She'd hissed and made a few threats to emasculate him while he'd cleaned her wounds but it was more for show than out of any genuine outrage.

Grinning, he made sure he used the most painful cleanser he could find as he cleaned the gash on her leg. He dabbed the chemical on and watched it react to the dirt in the wound.

"Son of a _bitch_!" the assassin yelled.

"You gonna pull this shit again?"

She grumbled something at him.

"Wrong answer." He dabbed a bit more of the chemical on the gash and she yelped. "You can bitch all you want but we're a team. You remember how teams work, right?"

Glowering at him, she nodded.

"Good," he replaced the cap on the bottle and reached for the gauze. "First thing's first: no more secrets."

She snorted slightly.

Gently covering the wound, he continued. "I do something, you tell me. Don't let Onigumo bring it up first. If I piss you off, I want to know."

"Saishi," her voice was weary. "You're pissing me off."

Finishing the bandage, he shook his head. "Go to bed, Bitch."

"Go to Hell, Asshole," she smiled at him, falling into the forgotten banter. Pushing herself off the table, she gingerly tested her wounded leg. Satisfied, she nodded at him and left the room.

Watching her leave, he frowned. "Been there, Sweetheart," he murmured.

* * *

_**A/N2: For it is Inuyasha and Kagome, king and queen of angst and faulty communication...Oh, wait, that's Romeo and Juliet...Never mind then.  
Miroku was a bit more...Well, Miroku... And just which side is Kouga/Wolf on?**_

**_Drop me a line, please. Flames will be snickered at..._**


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